Titans Take Full Advantage of Texas Hospitality to Win, 5-2

A Cal State Fullerton baseball team that wasn’t expected to challenge for the Big West Conference championship is one victory away from a trip to the College World Series.

The Titans got another strong pitching performance, some power from two unexpected sources, and took advantage of a charitable Texas defense to defeat the Longhorns, 5-2, Sunday in the NCAA Central Regional.

A hometown crowd of 6,621 at Texas’ Disch-Falk Field saw Fullerton weather 100-degree temperatures, Longhorn ace Kirk Dressendorfer and several Texas scoring threats as the Titans advanced to today’s noon (PDT) championship game.

Fullerton, 35-21 and undefeated in three regional games, will play Texas, which came back to defeat Creighton, 11-9, in an elimination game Sunday night. If the Longhorns (51-16) win, the teams will play again at 5 p.m. (PDT) for the regional title and the College World Series berth.

“We deserve to be where we are,” said Fullerton Coach Larry Cochell, whose team was picked to finish fifth in the conference by Big West coaches. “We’ve had the best pitching, played the best defense, and we’ve done the best in clutch situations.”

Senior right-hander Sam Colarusso, relying almost exclusively on his slider, curveball and slow curve, allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked five in seven innings to improve to 7-3. Reliever Chris Robinson threw two scoreless innings for his fifth save.

Fullerton scored two unearned runs with the help of two Texas errors in the first inning and added another run in the sixth after a Longhorn error.

Titan catcher Matt Hattabaugh, who hit three home runs during the regular season, hit his second homer in an as many days, a solo blast to left field in the second that gave Fullerton a 3-1 lead.

And right fielder Paul Bunch, who was making his first start in three weeks and had only one homer this season, hit a bases-empty home run off Longhorn reliever Scott Fredrickson in the seventh to give Fullerton a 5-2 lead.

“We’re just finding ways to win,” Titan third baseman Phil Nevin said. “The whole lineup has been doing it for us. Bunch hadn’t played in a while, but he gave us a lift. (Regular right fielder) Dave Ayala hasn’t been struggling, but we needed a little extra pop in the lineup.”

Colarusso, with help from his defense, made the Longhorn lineup fizzle. Texas opened the game with a walk and a single, but Johnny Walker hit into a 4-6-3 double play, and Colarusso struck out David Tollison on three breaking balls to end the threat.

On the double play, Titan first baseman Steve Sisco saved a run by making a nice, back-handed scoop of shortstop Kevin Farlow’s throw. Sisco saved another run in the second with a similar play.

Scott Pugh doubled with one out and scored on Clay King’s single, and King advanced to second on Roger Luce’s groundout. Kyle Moody grounded to Nevin at third, and Sisco made another back-handed scoop on Nevin’s throw to end the inning.

The Longhorns opened the third by putting runners at first and second, but Colarusso struck out Walker and got Tollison and Mike Morland to ground out.

Texas scored its second run in the fourth on Lance Jones’ sacrifice fly, but Colarusso allowed only one hit and remained clear of trouble through the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

That was as far as he could go.

“The heat and the long innings in the early part of the game took a toll,” Colarusso said. “It wore down my legs, and that’s the biggest factor when you’re pitching. I’m from Las Vegas and I’ve pitched in this type of heat, but I’m not used to the humidity. It takes all the energy out of you.”

Dressendorfer, a junior right-hander who is a two-time All-American, is comfortable in such weather, as he showed with a 5 1/3-inning, six-hit, four-strikeout performance.

But his first inning error paved the way for two Fullerton runs. Mate Borgogno singled and took second on a wild pitch, and with two outs, Frank Charles hit a one-hopper that bounced high off the artificial surface and to the right of Dressendorfer.

Dressendorfer, who hadn’t started a game since April 27 because of shoulder problems, fielded the ball, but his throw went past Pugh at first base, allowing Borgogno to score.

Charles headed for third on the error and scored when right fielder Walker’s throw went into left field.

“I don’t think Kirk has ever thrown the ball away like that,” Texas Coach Cliff Gustafson said. “It was probably due to his lack of pitching recently. Based on the importance of the play, I don’t remember an error hurting us quite like that one.”

Walker’s second error of the game didn’t help the Longhorns, either. Rich Gonzales, who had struck out twice, singled to right to open the sixth, but Walker, attempting a running catch, let the ball bounce by him and to the wall.

Gonzales advanced to third on the miscue and scored on Charles’ sacrifice fly to right field.

Robinson gave up a leadoff single to Pugh in the eighth, exciting a crowd that had seen the Longhorns rally with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Texas Arlington, 9-8, Friday.

But King hit a soft liner to second that Borgogno turned into a double play, silencing the fans. Jones, who had three hits, singled with one out in the ninth, but Robinson struck out Calvin Murray and got Walker to ground out to end the game.

“The kids can handle the pressure,” Cochell said. “That’s why we play at Stanford and Arizona State--places that are tough to play at--during the regular season. It gets the kids ready for situations like these.”